Showcase #4: Origin and First Appearance of the Silver Age Flash

Barry Allen asks, "I wonder what it would really be like — to be the fastest man on earth?" and he soon finds out.

In Showcase #4, Barry Allen makes his first appearance as The Flash in DC Comics. The previous Flash, Jay Garrick, also makes an appearance in the comic. Turtle Man, a villain, makes his first appearance and so do Iris West, Central City, and Flash's Costume Ring.

Revived in 1956 by Robert Kanigher (writer), Carmine Infantino, and Joe Kubert (cover artists), Showcase decided to show off the "Fastest Man Alive!" in the stories, The Man Who Broke the Time Barrier! and The Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!

Reinventing the iconic character, DC began to change the way stories are told, hoping to continually make improvements on storytelling in general.

Published in January of 1960, Flash #110 involves our hero fighting flash flood possibilities brought on by the evil Weather Wizard.

With the first appearance of the Weather Wizard, The Flash is using his arm speed instead of his legs.

This issue also features the story Meet Kid Flash! Iris' nephew Wally visits Barry Allen. The boy is a huge fan of the speedster, so Allen decides to suit up (secretly) so the youngster can meet his idol.

While The Flash explains his powers, another lightning bolt bursts through the ceiling and creates the same reaction to Wally that once happened to Allen, giving him super speed and reflexes. Allen creates another outfit and invites Wally to be his sidekick — Kid Flash.

In Flash #110, the cover artists were Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella. John Broome wrote both the stories and this was the first appearance of the Weather Wizard.

Silver Age Green Lantern Comic Book Price GuideFirst appearing in the Silver Age in Showcase #22, the Green Lantern has become more popular in recent years since the big-budget movie. Find out what the Silver Age appearances are worth.